As Uncontrollable As Fire
by Farrahtink
Summary: "Water is as uncontrollable as fire." He said cryptically. "It is the earth that is stable, dependable. Air that is easily swayed." Zuko and Katara are heading back to the fire nation so that sparky doesn't mess up as the new fire lord. Zutara. Sukka. Taang.
1. Chapter 1

**My first ATLA story! Let me know what you think!**

"Uncle, I don't know what the hell I'm thinking!" Zuko moaned placing his head in his hands.

"You are doing what you have been destined to do. You are the new Fire Lord," Iroh said placing a tea cup in front of him.

"I don't know how to lead people! I wasn't even leader of the Avatar's group. Katara was always the one who kept everything on point." Zuko took a swig of his tea and then coughed. He put his head back down on the table but felt a hand rest softly on his back.

"Exactly why you'll have me to help you not screw this very fragile nation up." Katara said smirking. Iroh smiled brightly at the young woman. She was a vision in her light colored robes her hair loose around her shoulders. Zuko's head shot up.

"What?" He asked incredulously.

"Katara has decided to remain in the Fire Nation with you. As an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe," Sokka said joining the table.

"That's my 'official' title. My real title is 'brains behind the Fire Lord's new strategies on keeping peace'" Katara laughed and even Zuko chuckled. His thoughts moved for a moment and then he lowered his voice.

"What are Aang's plans?" He queried quietly. Katara's brow furrowed momentarily and then her face became passive again.

"Aang is personally escorting Toph back to the Earth Kingdom and then he has some _personal_ things he wants to take care of." Her voice was even but there was a tone to it that told Zuko quite clearly, butt out.

"So you're coming with me?" Zuko asked. Katara pursed her lips.

"I'm going to the fire nation." she corrected. He nodded and looked at his uncle quietly.

"I'm sure you'll make a lovely addition to the palace family Katara, it might be nice to have a women's touch around such a cold place." Katara barked out a laugh at Iroh's words.

"Azula didn't bring any feminine level headedness to the place?" Everyone laughed at the joke. Katara's smile didn't reach her eyes and died altogether when Aang entered the room.

"Toph you ready to go?" Toph rolled her misty eyes.

"Yes twinkle toes just let me say goodbye to everyone before I leave." She stood next to the powerful young boy. Her elbow flew into Aang's ribs and she coughed, "and you do too!" It was Aang's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yeah goodbye guys." And then he stormed out. Katara sighed watching his retreating figure.

"Sparky, try not to set anything on fire while I'm gone." Toph said quickly. Zuko smiled and hugged the young girl.

"Snoozles, you treat Suki over there good or you'll have me earthbending your ass to the next planet." Sokka laughed ruffled her hair. Suki kissed the top of her head.

Toph hugged the waterbender tightly in her arms. "Listen sugar queen, there's a reason you got that name. You can do this. You're capable of being a queen. I'll have one of my stupid servants send a messenger hawk and I'll be back with you as soon as I can." Toph said gruffly. Katara's eyes welled up. "Now don't start tearbending on me!" Katara let out a choked giggle. She turned away from the scene and walked out the bay doors away from everyone else. Toph still had one more person she needed to talk to.

"Keep 'em in line gramps?" Toph asked the older man. He smiled down at the young girl.

"I will try my best Miss Bei Fong, but you know the two. Water is as uncontrollable as fire." He said cryptically. "It is the earth that is stable, dependable. Air that is easily swayed." Iroh raised an eyebrow at the powerful bender. Toph sighed and blew her bangs out of her face habitually. She hugged him too and then fled all the intense emotions that were trapped back in that room. She punched Aang hard when she caught up to him.

"You ass."

"What, I said good bye. We have a lot of ground to cover, there was no need for individual goodbyes." Aang said although he didn't look at her.

"You're leaving them for the first time in almost a year. You're leaving your _family_ for the first time in a year. You can't just tell me that you're not going to miss them all, even sparky."

"I'll see them again soon. There is to be a ball this December in honor of the winter solstice and to bring joy around the world. Six months will fly by." Aang argued but Toph could feel the lie in his body.

"Yeah sure. Whatever you say." Toph conceded and climbed on top of the sky bison.

XXXXX

"I can't believe I'm going to miss Toph!" Zuko said jokingly. The room however was solemn. Suki was wrapped in Sokka's arms whispering to him quietly but his face looked grim. His eyes were trained on his sister's back.

"What happened?" Zuko asked quietly. Sokka's blue eyes darted to him. He noted that the color was not the same as Katara's. It was darker, not as clear.

"It's Katara's story. Not mine." Sokka said lowly. His voice displayed an anger that Zuko recognized as protective.

"Let's just say no one is perfect, not even the all mighty Avatar." Suki's voice dripped with contempt and she shook her head. Zuko's head raced with all possibilities that could cause this but none that came to mind made any sense whatsoever.

"When do you guys leave for Kyoshi?" Zuko asked changing the subject. Suki's face lit up at the mention of her home.

"Soon, we just wanted to wait until…" Suki's voice trailed off and she shifted. Her eyes turned uncertainly to Sokka.

"Suki and I aren't leaving until you and my sister are on your way." Sokka said. His voice was harsh.

"My airship will be departing tomorrow at sunrise." Zuko answered.

"Then our boat will set sail tomorrow at sunset." Sokka nodded. Something passed between the two young men. Suki noted it but the conversation was dropped as the pretty waterbender reentered the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWED MY STORY I KNOW IT IS A SLOW START BUT IT WILL GET BETTER**

"We're almost there," Iroh said looking at the young woman. Her body was stiff her eyes misty as she looked at the flowing water around her.

"Good I can't wait to get off of this ship." Katara said but the bite in her voice was not there. Her eyes were cloudy when she turned back to the older man.

"I'm sure. The palace will have much nicer accommodations for you my dear. There is a lovely room that overlooks the water and gardens I think you will enjoy." Iroh said trying to coaxe a small smile from the water tribe girl.

"Will Zuko be amenable to me having that room?" Katara queried sarcasm in her tone.

"Of course he will it used to belong to-"

"My mother." The sulky teen finished. Although Katara looked closer at her friend and noted that calling him a teen was using the word liberally. He was tall and broad shouldered. Nothing like the gawky boy she had met at the beginning of winter over a year ago. "You're welcome to it Katara it deserves a loving touch." Katara nodded turning her head back to the ocean.

"I don't know if I'm capable of giving that anymore." Katara mumbled to herself, but both fire nation men heard her clearly. Both chose to ignore the statement.

"It might be a little red for your taste but please feel free to make any changes you think it needs.

You're going to be changing the entire fire nation, the bedroom is just the tip of the iceberg." Iroh told her proudly. She sighed and closed her eyes in pain.

This gave Zuko the prime opportunity to observe her. She wasn't much of a girl anymore. Time had chiseled her once soft features and she was stunning in her traditional water tribe garb.

"Thank you." She said quietly and she left the men on the deck her thoughts as cloudy as her eyes.

"She seems very hurt." Iroh remarked. Zuko ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?!" His thoughts were so jumbled and confused.

"Talk to her. Go to her. Sit with her. And for god's sakes Zuko if she needs it, hold her." Iroh's face became solemn as though a memory of his own was being called to surface. "Agni forbid you need show compassion." He turned away. Leaving Zuko to his thoughts.

It was with a gulp, a straight spine and a stiff upper lip that he knocked three times on the pretty girl's door.

XXXXX

"Sokka," Suki said quietly her head resting on his chest. Sokka snored onward. "Sokka!" Suki shook her boyfriend awake.

"Wassamattah?" He said raising his sword hand that at the moment was empty.

"I'm worried about Katara." Suki told him. She smelled his chest and was comforted by the scent. She thought about Katara all alone in the fire nation with no one but Zuko. She worried what she would do without the familiar smells and sounds of the people who had been her family.

"I know." Sokka said quietly. "But she's got the jerkbender. He'll take care of her or face my wrath." Sokka squinted his eyes in the darkness around him.

"What if he does that though?" Suki mumbled and Sokka sat up.

"What!"

"What if he takes care of her?" Suki queried and Sokka's eyes widened at her words. He stood up and began to pull on his pants stumbling around in the darkness looking for his sword. "Sokka what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go kill the jerkbender and then lock Katara in an ice hut where there are no boys." Sokka answered seriously.

"Sokka, she's a woman now, you can't control her. I think Zuko would be good for her. Better than the Avatar anyway." Suki's mouth twisted on the word Avatar. Sokka sat down his head in his hands. "I hate him." Suki said quietly.

"I know you do." He kissed his girlfriend's head in thought. None of this was how it was supposed to be. Never in a thousand years did he think he would see the day when he was separated from his baby sister, but here he was. Never did he think he would ever agree with the words that had just come out of Suki's mouth, but here he was nodding his head in understanding and agreement.

"I trusted him and then he did that to her. I trust Zuko. He knows what it's like to be betrayed by someone you considered family." Suki continued and Sokka nodded.

"Alright, I trust the fire lord." Tui and La strike him if he ever imagined those words coming from his lips. "But if he touches my baby sister he's gonna be scarred much worse in a much worse place." Suki giggled at her boyfriend's words and pulled him down into a kiss.

XXXX

"Aang," Toph said trying to capture the boy's attention.

"Hmph." He responded in acknowledgement.

"I don't want to go home." Toph said quietly. Her knees were drawn to her chest and she blew the bangs out of her eyes in habit.

"I know what you mean, but it's what Ka- it's what she thought was best." Aang said trying to console the girl although there was no courage in his conviction. Toph seized her opportunity knowing what Aang's weakness was right now.

"Sugar puss always thinks she knows what is right but she doesn't I mean how could she?" Toph prodded. "She acted enough like a mother to me for the last year. I know I don't need to go home to another one."

"You know it's not the same." Aang argued weakly.

"Whatever, I'm over her and the whole thing. I want to come with you. Mother free for the first time in my whole life," Toph paused. "I mean sugar queen was only 14 anyway, how much does she know anyway. She's no better than the rest of us." The words were lies but Aang couldn't sense that. He couldn't know how much it hurt Toph to say those words. So he believed them and responded simply, "Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm SO SORRY! Updates will be faster and closer together it's just been a hectic time! Review please!**

"Welcome to the fire nation, or should I say welcome back?" Iroh asked pleasantly. Katara smiled softly.

"I thought I'd never say this but I actually missed the heat." Katara said. Zuko gave a soft smile to them both. "And you oh so Lordy fire lord, are you happy to be back?"

"Would it be wrong if I said no?" Zuko was ruffling his hair anxiously. "Soon I'm not going to even be able to do that, damn top knot." Katara let out a nervous giggle.

"You could always pass a decree that it's no longer required?" She suggested.

"Wow is that your first brilliant plan as ambassador of the southern water tribe?" Zuko teased raising his eyebrow. Katara swatted his arm playfully.

"Who knows, scruffy could become the newest craze in the fire nation." She said. Her eyes then travelled to the listless amount of people on their knees praising the new fire lord. She gulped. "Or maybe not." She looked at Zuko with a kind of blind panic. "What in Tui's name have I gotten myself into. What made me think I could do this! I'm barely 14!" Panic was seeping through her body.

"Hey, I'm just 16, and we fought a war remember? We can do this." Zuko told her and squeezed her shoulder gently. His touch brought back memories of the night before in high color.

XXXXXflashbackXXXX

"Wha...Zuko?" Katara opened her door slowly. She was wrapping a sheer white robe tighter around her body.

"I could tell you were upset up on the deck. I can't help but notice that things have seemed to change between you and the Avatar." Zuko said slowly. He was looking directly into her cerulean eyes, bad choice, he could barely breathe much less form coherent sentences.

"Yeah I guess you could say that." She chewed aggressively on her lip. She looked up and down each hallway and then said, "come in."

Zuko entered the room behind the pretty girl. He walked slowly and took in how Katara had set up her space. Although the voyage was short, only two days, she had made the space her own. Two large jugs of water stood on one side of the room that had the window. He guessed it was so she could see the full moon. It was her waterbending wall. The other wall was adorned with all the South Pole traditional wall ornaments although they would be very out of place in the fire nation. And on her table carefully put together was the wanted portraits of Aang, Toph, and himself. They had been cut apart from the rest of each wanted poster and now they were carefully pasted to portraits of Sokka, suki and herself, he guessed they had been drawn on one of their stops.

"Aang's in love with me." Katara started abruptly. Zuko's brow furrowed and Katara sat down on her plush bed. He looked around warily for a chair, unsurprised when he found none. "Oh just sit on the bed, it's just me."

Zuko sat mutely.

"Well! Aren't you shocked?!" Katara asked with aggravation. Her hands waved in the air rapidly.

"Not really," Zuko sighed not looking at her. She huffed.

"Well I was." Katara said flatly. Zuko raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "Okay, I knew he had feelings for me. Obviously, he had kissed me on one too many times." Katara shook her head. "I didn't realize he was _in love_ with me though." Zuko looked up at her and saw the storm behind her eyes. He put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I still don't see what the big deal is, so the kid is in love with you, it happens." Zuko responded warily. He thought back on himself when he had just turned thirteen. His scar throbbed at the memory.

"That's exactly it! The KID is in LOVE with ME." She jumped up pacing her room. Zuko could've sworn he heard the water in the jugs swishing violently. "He's a child and during the war I never even had time to think about him as anything but a child. I mean I washed his laundry for Yue's sake! I never had romantic feelings for him. And I should've realized how attached he was when he became so upset over Jet, but I mean really and truly that was just a crush-"

"Katara, I still don't understand. People fall in and out of love, it happens. Aang will get over it eventually. What did he do that was so awful?" Zuko asked. Katara's eyes turned misty at the memory. Zuko watched the blue orbs fill with tears as she seemed to recall what had happened. He stood up and crossed to her in quick graceful steps. He tentatively reached for her and relief filled his body as she sunk into his arms.

"No Zuko, people don't fall in and out of love. Not really. People fall in and out of romantic feelings, but not love." Her voice was solid but he could feel the tears on his robe. He rested his head on top of hers and couldn't help but notice how perfectly it fit there. Katara didn't elaborate but Zuko figured that was a story for another day. Right now he was content to just hold the pretty girl in his arms.

XXXXXXX

"Toph and Aang off on another whirl wind adventure!" Toph shouted gleefully as the wind whipped her face. Aang turned around to look at his travelling companion.

"I guess you could say that, although we've never been on an adventure just us two." Aang remarked thoughtfully.

"That's because you couldn't bear to leave your precious Sugar Queen for more than a few hours," Toph snapped back. Aang felt his body begin to glow and Toph felt the vibrations in him change. "Hey, I'm sorry, I guess it's still a touchy subject." Aang's breathing eased again.

"Yeah I guess you could say that." Aang mumbled. Toph rolled her giant grey eyes at the boys idiocy but decided it was better to just sit back and enjoy the wind rushing through her hair as Appa made his way higher into the mountains.


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I know I'm the worst person ever. I never update I'm working on it.**

"I assure you Officer Zhang, Katara is highly qualified." Zuko said looking the older gentleman in his eye. He was fire nation, fire nation nobility like everyone else at that table. Unlike everyone else Zuko was the only one who had the slightest bit of faith in Katara. Katara, who would be attending this meeting in a few minutes.

"Yes, I'm sure she's _qualified_ as you say. I know she travelled with the avatar but she's a child. She's not even married, there's no man to get her in line." Zhee Yang, a noble man who sat on the left of him. Zuko fought hard not to roll his eyes. _Be respectful, be respectful._ Zuko thought hard as he bit out the next sentence.

"Sir, Zhee, I'm unaware where were you during the majority of this war?"

"Me, Well sir, as I'm sure you're aware I'm the head of a very lucrative trading post that was unaffected during the war. My family and I reside in the mainland and were very lucky to have been spared any casualties in this war." Zhee Yang tapped his fingers together in happiness. He had been spared, he was lucky.

"Yes, well then I hope you won't mind me saying this but," Zuko sucked in a deep breath. "you then have no idea how quickly war changes a person. You, Yang have no clue how fast a little girl has to grow up when her mother has been taken from her, when she has no chance to learn how to bend her element, when she has to fight her way across the world to accomplish one goal, one goal, and that is to save it. Save a world that is attacking her right, left, and center. I hope you don't mind me saying this but I would appreciate if you only input your knowledge on issues and topics that you have direct experience with." The room was silent and not looking at Zuko either. Instead they were looking at the entrance doors, behind the fire lord. Where a young girl dressed in light blue garb had just stood for almost the entirety of Zuko's speech.

"Master Katara," Zuko said in surprise rising from his seat respectfully. Several of the other officials did so begrudgingly and a few even had the audacity to stay seated. "Gentlemen I know you might not have much experience on this matter, but when a living breathing women walks into the room you stand." His amber eyes met those of the others in that room and then locked on the deep blue eyes of the beautiful water bender. She smiled at him, not her true smile but that little half smile she gave when her mind was working faster than Appa could fly. She nodded at him and he sat.

"Thank you, Zuko." She replied, using his first name purposely, knowing that she and Uncle Iroh were the only two people in the room allowed to do so. "And hello gentlemen, it's nice to finally get to meet all of you." Her blue eyes twinkled and she sat directly on Zuko's right. "I am Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, a master water bender and if anyone else has questions they want to ask me, by all means fire away." Zuko let out a chuckle at the expression but sat up higher. Iroh leaned back in his chair and waited.

"What makes you more qualified than your brother for this position?" Snapped one gentleman from the back.

"Why are you unmarried?"

"What do you plan on doing to the fire nation" Another outburst called out. The voices grew louder and louder, asking more and more questions. Katara let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Zuko felt the overwhelming need to take her out of the room and get her away from all of this.

"Thank you, I understand all of your concerns. The first one I will address that seems to be almost as important to you as the state of the fire nation is my status as an unmarried woman." Katara looked around the room and saw the smug smiles on many men's faces. Her blood boiled slightly.

"Katara you don't need to-" Zuko interjected. Katara raised her hand.

"It's fine. Yes, I realize that I am a woman of marrying age. However, for the past two years I was preoccupied with first and foremost mastering my element, then moving on to help the avatar bring down Fire Lord Ozai for the sake of harmony amongst the world." She paused for a moment in thought. "When I left I was much too young to be thinking about marriage. I was 14. I'm well aware that it is about time I begin to look for a suitable husband and I will entertain suitors when they begin to well, entertain me, but until then I remain unmarried."

"Maybe it's because no one is interested in a water tribe peasant with a head too large for her body," murmured a man from the back. What happened next was over in a flash.

Zuko was out of his chair a wave of fire hurtling directly at the man, Officer Cho who had made the comment. Katara had pulled water from the glasses at the table and put out the flame quickly causing steam to rise from the air. She grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him back down into his seat, but not before he shouted, "out of my home! Now!"

"Zuko!" Katara snapped.

"This meeting is over, everyone can harass _Master_ Katara next week. Until then, out!" Zuko rose from his seat and the nobles of the room quickly followed the suit. Katara stormed after him into his chambers.

"What in Yue's name was that!" Katara slammed the door behind her.

"Those men, they were just-"

"Just what Zuko, just what? Yelling at me? Rudely antagonizing me? Trying to make me feel inferior?" Katara ranted throwing her hands up in the air and with that pulling a stream of water from the nearby vase with her. "That's what men do! They are rude and belittling, Tui knows I've been dealing with it my whole life. You don't need to protect me! Those men need to realize that I am capable of protecting myself, winning, beating them, they cannot knock me down." She calmed slightly and stepped right next to the enraged firebender. His amber eyes locked on her blue ones, her hand touched his chest right over his heart, where she had once brought him back from the dead. His heart rate was speeding. "You don't need to protect me, if I recall correctly, we protect each other."


End file.
